After 10+ years of owning one of the fastest growing graphic design firms in the south, and creating web and print graphics and advertisements for some of the biggest names in business, it was time to expand into photography. My daughter was about to leave for college, and I was going to have this gaping hole in my life that I needed to fill with something. So Captured Me was born in 2016.
My expectations were not that grand. I thought I might be lucky to get a shoot per month. But one shoot changed everything. I was standing near this beautiful creek. It was dark and green and lush - just incredible. The thought came to me, "I wonder what it would be like if I had a girl in a white dress and a flowery crown lay day in the middle of that water?" So, on my third shoot as Captured Me, that's what I did...and everyone went nuts over those water pictures. As a result, I consistently have 12-15 photoshoots per week., and I am loving every second of it!
Well, I had to expand far beyond just having people get in the water and take a few pictures. We have successfully completed close to 2000 photoshoots in just over 2 years. We are consistently booked for months in advance, and that feels great! We have 40+ Spokesmodels on high school and university campuses all over Texas. We have a professional model development program, CMP Elite Models, that is churning out the very best models in all of Austin. We have our own online magazine, CAPTURED, as well as being published in other magazines and publications including Vogue. And we have an agency to funnel the very best of the best into as warranted. We love the likes, follows, and requests that we receive from people who see our work online. All of this has made us one of the fastest growing, and most recognizable names in Austin photography!
In thinking about what would set CAPTURED me Photography apart from all of the competition in the area, there were a few things where I had something unique to offer:
My expectations were not that grand. I thought I might be lucky to get a shoot per month. But one shoot changed everything. I was standing near this beautiful creek. It was dark and green and lush - just incredible. The thought came to me, "I wonder what it would be like if I had a girl in a white dress and a flowery crown lay day in the middle of that water?" So, on my third shoot as Captured Me, that's what I did...and everyone went nuts over those water pictures. As a result, I consistently have 12-15 photoshoots per week., and I am loving every second of it!
Well, I had to expand far beyond just having people get in the water and take a few pictures. We have successfully completed close to 2000 photoshoots in just over 2 years. We are consistently booked for months in advance, and that feels great! We have 40+ Spokesmodels on high school and university campuses all over Texas. We have a professional model development program, CMP Elite Models, that is churning out the very best models in all of Austin. We have our own online magazine, CAPTURED, as well as being published in other magazines and publications including Vogue. And we have an agency to funnel the very best of the best into as warranted. We love the likes, follows, and requests that we receive from people who see our work online. All of this has made us one of the fastest growing, and most recognizable names in Austin photography!
In thinking about what would set CAPTURED me Photography apart from all of the competition in the area, there were a few things where I had something unique to offer:
- Affordability. I am not a full-time photographer. I have full-time employment elsewhere that keeps me busy during the week. I schedule photoshoots on the weekends to supplement my income and to help pay tuition costs for that daughter of mine that I mentioned above. On average, CAPTURED me Photography is around 70% less expensive than competitors in this area who do the same type of work.
- Planning. On average, I'll spent 8-10 hours of planning leading up to the day of the actual photoshoot. I'll send texts throughout the week to ask questions about themes, colors, ideas, personality, and try to really understand the subject of my photos before we ever take a picture. By the time the shoot actually begins, I have a very thorough plan of poses and locations mapped out so we can have a blast taking pictures.
- Top Notch Photo Editing. For several years, I owned a graphic design company. This provided me with an enormous amount of experience editing pictures and looking for the "wow factor" in a photograph. My photos come to life when I begin to edit them...it's actually one of my favorite parts of what I do.
- Speed. I've had photoshoots done by others and it always frustrated me that I had to wait so long to get me finished photographs back. Because of my background with editing, I've become pretty quick at being able to turn around the photos for delivery...OFTEN THE SAME DAY. Let's face it, we live in an instant gratification world so we want our pictures back as soon as we can get them.
- Value. My sessions include all of the edited pictures from the photoshoot, not just a handful. My clients, on average, take home between 40-60 fully edited, high resolution, photographs after one of our full shoots.
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What the models say...
"Doug is very professional, but he also is my best friend and supporter. We have grown to love each other like family. I couldn't ask for anyone else!"
- Mikayla (CMP Elite Model and DX2 Model)
"It's the best getting to work with Doug! I get to try new things at new places and it pushes me out of my comfort zone to be the best me."
- Torrey (CMP Elite Model and DX2 Model)
"The coolest part about working with Doug is how uplifting he is and how he has always treated me like his daughter, making sure I am confident and comfortable in every situation."
- Kelsi (CMP Elite Model and DX2 Model)
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